"I knew I wasn't pregnant" - Former Tennessee guard Chris Lofton breaks silence on cancer diagnosis found during "random drug test" 

Former Tennessee Volunteers star Chris Lofton is a certified legend in Knoxville for his exploits for the Volunteers during his playing time for the team between 2004 and 2008. As part of the "Volunteer For Life" documentary which is part of the "SEC Storied Series" that premiered on Monday, Lofton revealed that he failed a random drug test during the 2007-2008 season and that the test saved his life.

In an interview with ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum on Tuesday, Lofton revealed how he found out about his cancer diagnosis after high levels of HCG were detected in his test results revealing a tumor marker.

"I was picked for a random drug test," Chris Lofton said. "Normal routine. I go back there, pee in a cup and I get word after the game. Our trainer Chad Newman tells me after the game that I failed a drug test and I didn't know what was going on. I don't smoke.

"I'm trying to figure out how I failed a drug test and we go back to Knoxville and we find out it's either I have cancer or I'm pregnant. I didn't have many good options right there so I kinda knew I wasn't pregnant so we found out it was cancer for sure."

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How Chris Lofton kept cancer diagnosis secret

After getting diagnosis with cancer, Chris Lofton kept his condition a secret as the college basketball season unfolded and informed only a handful of university staff, then-Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl and finally, his roommate, Jordan Howell.

During an interview with ESPN's Chris Low, Lofton revealed why he kept his condition secret.

"I just never wanted it to be about me, the focus to be on what I was going through," Lofton said. "My teammates didn't deserve that. We'd worked too hard, all of us, to get where we were to let my personal struggles maybe bring us down. "

"You're in a storm, coming out of a storm or getting ready to go into a storm. It's one of the three."

During his junior season, Lofton had averaged 20.8 points while shooting 47.9% from the field and was named SEC Player of the Year but after his cancer diagnosis and treatments, his average fell to 15.5 points as a senior.

Chris Lofton went undrafted in the 2008 NBA Draft but he had a long career in various teams in Europe and South Korea.